Tears don't fall on paper flowers
by wheninromeidiverge
Summary: AU and some OOCness. Spencer Reid has been plauged by a monster since he was born and this monster has been killing freely for six years. With a new change in the local police force, and the with the BAU being called in, can justice finally be served? Can Reid finally get some peace? Or will the team's effort's be for naught? Just a little idea of mine, please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds and I do not make any profit from this!**_

_**Notes: Please excuse any mistakes, they are all my own. If there is anything that you find wrong please let me know so I can fix it. Please read and review! Hope you enjoy!**_

"Damn, probably shouldn't have gulped down that last shot. I think I'm still going to barf." Emily Prentiss, FBI agent and former Interpol spy, struggled off the elevator and raised her right hand to sooth her throbbing temple. A deep, playful chuckle alerted her to the presence approaching in front of her and she wanted nothing more than to smack said figure.

"Didn't know you were such a push over Princess, you should have told me that you weren't up for it."

Derek Morgan, also an FBI agent and resident tough guy, sauntered over to his partner's side and gently handing her a medium sized cup of coffee. He grinned and tried to help his suffering friend, but it was difficult when he was also trying to hold back a fit of laughter.

"Shut up, Morgan, or I swear I will force myself to vomit on your shoes. See how you like that." Emily slowly but surely made her way to her office desk after entering the bullpen of the BAU through the glass doors with Morgan. She sat down softly and sighed as she reached for the aspirin in her bottom left drawer. Popping two into her mouth with a swig of her caffeinated elixir she got to work on the leftover files still sitting on her desk from last night. Morgan did the same and they worked silently together.

"Morgan, Prentiss, conference room. Now." Aaron Hotchner, the unit chief of the BAU, called into the bullpen as he walked across the catwalk from his office. Both agents quickly disregarded their dreaded paperwork and scurried up the stairs to find out about their latest case. Once they were seated, Jennifer Jareau or JJ, the media liaison, along with David Rossi, formerly retired profiler and current bestselling novelist, joined them at the conference table.

"Hotch, where are we going today?" Derek couldn't wait to get away from doing paperwork. Not that someone dying was a good thing, but still, paperwork was pretty bad.

"Las Vegas, Nevada. There have been a string of murders going back six years and they are just now finding the bodies." Hotch's stoic face gave nothing away, but everyone could tell that something about this was irritating the man.

"Why are we just being called in now if the murders have been going on for years?" Rossi pondered aloud.

"The local police force didn't think there was any need for the BAU's involvement, but lately the killings have increased and a new chief detective was just appointed and his first major decision was to call us in. We can expect that there will be plenty of tension when we arrive at the station so expect little to no cooperation from the locals. Wheels up in thirty." Hotch quickly escaped to his office while the others headed back to grab their own go bags. This was a case that none of them were going to forget, even if they didn't quite realize it yet.

….

Spencer Reid hugged himself and closed his eyes as a shiver ran down his spine. This wasn't supposed to happen. He was meant to finally be safe. He wasn't meant to receive any more letters or photos, but that never stopped him before. He never got any peace, why should it finally start now?

"Spencer, I'm glad you're here." A gentle hand rested on the tall man's shoulder accompanied by a soothing voice he knew well. Spencer opened his eyes to look into cerulean orbs that had become a calming sight to him.

"Detective Jones, congrats on the promotion to Chief." Spencer gave a small smile that actually reached his eyes.

"Come on Spencer, its Daniel, how many times I have to tell ya'. You don't need to be so formal. How's your mother doing?" Daniel smiled reassuringly at the young man and led him to his office and once inside gesturing for him to sit.

"She's okay, still fluctuating from good and bad days. The medicine really helps when she takes it. They let her start he own literature class and that makes her very happy."

"That's fantastic. Now, how have _you_ been? And don't lie to me Spencer."

Spencer gulped and crossed his arms around himself again and tried to take deep comforting breaths.

"… I thought he was finally leaving me alone. I thought I was finally free, but I guess freedom comes at some kind of cost and I know exactly what that price is." Tears started to burn his eyes and deep sorrow filled them as he spoke.

"This is not your fault Spencer, you know that. I know it hurts, but there is nothing you could do to help them. He would have done it anyway, with or without you. He should have been stopped long ago, but George was too prideful to except any help. I'm sorry you had to suffer for so long, but I'm finally going to put an end to this monster's reign. I won't let him hurt you ever again and he won't be able hurt anyone else once we catch him." Daniel reached across the way and lifted Spencer's chin so they were looking into each other's eyes.

A rueful grimace planted itself onto Reid's face and he laughed a low mournful laugh.

"How do you catch a monster that's killed 60 people, when that monster is your father?"


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or make any profit from this. If I did own Criminal Minds, Spencer Reid would be the main character.**_

_**Notes: Please let me know if there is anything wrong with this and I will try to fix it if it's really bad. I'll try and update when I can, but no promises. Please read and review! Hope you enjoy this little plot bunny of mine! **_

The private BAU jet landed swiftly and once at a full stop, the team descended the plane steps to be met by a smiling man with striking cerulean eyes. His frame was of average build and height, but was muscular and fit. The aura he gave off was friendly and relaxing, not very common in their line of work, but it was refreshing.

"Welcome, and thank you for coming Agent Hotchner. I'm Chief Detective Daniel Jones, the one who spoke to you on the phone." Hotch took the man's outstretch hand and then lead them to the waiting black SUVs that would carry them to the police station.

"Detective Daniels, If I may ask, why are you just now asking for our assistance?" JJ carefully asked the question that they had all been wondering more about.

"Well, I have recently come into my position, but this case had been afoot for too long. George Lamont, the previous Chief, was too prideful to except your help, and there were few that argued with him, but now, they have no choice but to ask for help. We've all gotten to a point where this needs to end, so pride and any other egotistical mannerisms need to be put aside." The team was impressed with this man. They had rarely seen someone so willing to put their own personal innuendoes aside to catch a noteworthy killer. Many had only wanted to catch the murder to further their career options and help boost their own wealth, but this man was obviously different.

Hotch, Morgan, and Detective Jones took one of the SUVs, while JJ, Emily, and Rossi took the other. The traffic was light and the ride over was peaceful and the passing scenery was flashing and eye-catching.

When they arrived at the station, Detective Daniels led the m inside to introduce them to his officers. As soon as they entered the front doors, it was like chaos had erupted. Officers were scrambling from place to place, desk to desk, with papers in their hands and phones to their ears, talking, listening, or relaying information. Detective Jones grabbed the closest officer he could and demanded to know what had happened in such a short period of time.

"He sent another letter and more roses, sir. I was just on my way to let you know." The young cadet was released and the BAU followed as Detective Daniels rushed toward his personal office and nearly took the door off its hinges as he opened it.

"Spencer, what happened?" Morgan and Hotch were at the front of the pack and could see a trembling young man barely beyond the Chief.

"He wrote to me again and he sent me flowers! At the station! I'm not even safe here anymore! Why won't he just leave me alone?!" The man was obviously stressed and a sudden pang went to Morgan's heart when he heard the sorrow and despair laced in his words. The kid was somehow in the middle of this and he just couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"Mr. Jones, Could you please show us where we can set up so we may be of some assistance? The sooner the better it seems." Hotch tried to sound professional without being rude. Daniel nodded and clasped Spencer on the shoulder gently and made sure that his hazel eyes gazed into the older cerulean pair.

"They are in the lower left drawer if you need them. Stay here, shut the blinds, dim the lights, and just breathe. It's going to be okay." Spencer gave a very slight nod and was still trembling like a leaf, but his eyes seemed to gain a sense of coherency.

"Right this way." Daniel quickly left the room and was followed by the BAU team. He led them down a hall and the chaos seemed to fade away when they entered a door on the left of the hall. There was a large rectangle in the center of the room with two white boards and two cork boards surrounding it. All of the evidence was photographed and pinned up one of the board for them. There were also stacks of case files organized on the center table.

"I'll leave you to your work. I have to go find out how the hell this happened while I was gone for barely twenty minutes." Chief Jones sighed and shook his head wearily was he headed toward the door, but was stopped by a female voice.

"Detective, if I may be so bold, who was that in your office just now?" JJ had been the one to speak up and her maternal instincts were flaring after that small glimpse of the young man nearly hyperventilating. Seeing someone that innocent looking made her heat clench and she felt a strong will to protect him even though he was a complete stranger.

"That was Spencer. He's a key witness in this case and he's been with us from the beginning of the investigation." Daniel's seemed to be skirting around the core of the subject.

"How old is he? He looks like just a kid." Rossi had a soft spot for kids even if he had no idea on how to handle them.

"He's 18." Blunt and slightly nervous was the tone for the reply.

"Wait, you said he's been with you since the beginning. If he's 18 now, then he was only 12 when this began. How could a 12 year old witness a murder so easily?" Emily was the one questioning now.

"If that 12 year old has seen worse things than that, and even lived through a few of them himself." All the heads in the room wiped back to the door to see Spencer leaning shakily against the door frame. He was pale and hugging his arms around himself in an obvious attempt to physically shield himself.

"I thought I told you to stay in my office." Daniel's voice was more serious and tense than the team had heard it since their first meeting of the man.

Spencer walked slowly into the room and sat stiffly on the edge of a chair by the center table.

"I came to answer their questions, since they will obvious have some. I know I was supposed to stay out of this, but I'm done hiding. I've been doing it for as long as I can think of and I'm finally done with all the fear and paranoia and sleepless nights. They need to know everything I can give them and I need all the answers they can hopefully, and finally, give me."

Hotch was very impressed with the young man, but something about him had set off red flags and his stomach was flipping uneasily.

"What did you mean by 'if that 12 year old had seen worse and lived through worse'? How would you know that?" Hotch sat opposite of him and folded his hands together in front of him with his elbows on his knees.

"I'm sorry; I haven't introduced myself have I? I'm Spencer Reid." The last name was said with a harsh and tense tone and it was instantly recognized by the team. JJ gasped, Emily and Morgan both let their mouths drop, and Hotch and Rossi let slight sorrow pass onto their usually stoic faces.

"Oh my God… so _you've_ been getting all those…_things_?" JJ's voice was nothing but a whisper, and a horrified and disgusted one at that.

"Yes, but thankfully, I can give 16 of those back to 16 families." That had to be the saddest and most depressing smile that JJ had ever seen. How could this _child_, who must have been to and seen hell and back, still have such an amazing and selfless outlook on life.

"May I call you Spencer?" Hotch waited for a nod before speaking again. "I would still like you to answer my question. What did you mean earlier?"

Without any words Spencer stood and went to close the door, but Daniel had beat him to it and suddenly grasped Spencer's arm before he could do anything else besides get up.

"Spence, don't, you don't have to." It was a whispered and heartfelt plea that was only responded to with that same depressing smile. Before Daniel could stop him again, Spencer slid off his long sleeved shirt and turned around so that his back could be facing the group. Gasps were heard and Daniel had to scrunch up his eyes and look away. He'd seen it the very first time when he'd started the case and promptly lost his breakfast. Now was nothing compared to then, but seeing it on that sweet boy's back was just getting to be so hard for him to bear these days.

Spencer's back was a mix of scars. Many were large gashes that made the flesh on his back swirl and contort and fade from a soft pink to a light maroon color. There were large burn marks spotting around the cuts and they were a medium shade of both the pink and maroon. Everything traveled from the base of his hair line to beneath his blue jeans and spanned the entire width of his back. It was horrible and grotesque, and looked extremely painful.

"H-How did you receive those injuries?" Hotch dreaded the response, but it was his unfortunate job to know these things.

"I was 11 and it October 16th, and dad had just quit his job. He was finally going into business with his cousin's mob friends and so he had to assimilate himself into their group. He drank, a lot, then came home and went into a drunken rage. I managed to spare my mother a beating, but that left me all alone. He used his right fist 12 times, his left 10 times, a wrench from under the sink around 16 times, and the iron around 8 times. I kind of lost track during that part since I was barely conscious but it lasted 2 hours, 34 minutes, and 57 seconds." All of those horrific details made JJ and Morgan sick to their stomachs. A few tears fell down her face and everyone else was speechless. Rossi and Hotch actually looked dreadfully sorrowful and Emily's hands were shaking. One thing caught Morgan's attention and his curiosity slightly sickened him.

"How do you know it lasted that long?" His voice was slightly hoarse and it was only barely louder than a whisper.

"I watched the clock, and since I have an eidetic memory I can't forget the stupid blinking kitchen clock. It doesn't hurt anymore, but it's a pretty huge deterrent to any relationship right?" A humorless laugh escaped the poor man's lips and while everyone else looked on the verge of tears, if they weren't already, Spencer was calm and even trying to joke about his horrible injuries.

Daniel didn't say a word as he wrapped his arms around Spencer and clung to him as he quietly pleaded with him to stop saying stuff like that and to put his shirt back on. Spencer patted him on the back gently and sighed as he complied. Soon everyone was brought out of their own thoughts when Spencer's shirt was back on and a small knock on the door alerted them. A young police officer peeked inside and cleared his throat nervously.

"Sir, we've notified all of the families of the recently recovered bodies and they are on their way here now. Samantha Wyatt's parents are here now and are waiting in Alex's office."

"Thanks Nick. Well, I guess we have to go do another horrible part of our job right?" Detective Daniel led the way for Hotch and JJ as they both went to speak with the unfortunate parent's.

"Um, tell Daniel that I'll be at the Center and that I'll have my phone on. I'll leave you guys to your job then. Um… bye." Spencer waved awkwardly to Morgan, Emily, and Rossi before exiting the room and saying goodbye to all of the officers that greeted him as he went. The remaining BAU team members could only stare at the space that the young man had occupied like he'd just been abducted by aliens.

"That has to be the bravest kid I have ever seen. Never in my life have I seen a kid with more balls." Rossi could only shake his head in admiration for the commendable young man. Morgan and Emily could only silently agree, so shocked by what they had learned and seen in such a short time that had somehow shaped such an amazing man.

You can't pick your family, but you can damn well pick who you turn out to be, and apparently, Spencer has it all figured out.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: I don't own this nor do I make any kind of profit**_

_**Notes: Sorry this is kind of later than I had hoped, but here it is so, TA-DA! Please note that will be bad language so if you don't like it please don't flame me because I did warn you. JJ being awesome at the end so please read and review, but if you say anything mean I will let her loose on you so you have been warned! Thanks, and I hope you enjoy! **_

_Rancid breathe that smelled profusely of alcohol and tobacco wafted through the air. The inhaling of air was incredibly hard and everything hurt terribly. The only sound in the room was of breathing, but it was a mix of panting and harsh wheezing. _

_ Broken glass was everywhere and blood was splattered on the floor and partially on the walls. Brown, glossy liquid pooled and swirled with the blood, making a putrid color pattern on the floor. There was a figure looming over him and saying something, but after being nearly killed there was only all consuming white noise. _

_ A kick was suddenly thrust into his chest and a quiet, pained sob broke to the surface. It hurt, it really hurt, and he thought it was only going to get worse. The fire on his back drowned everything out, but now he was having trouble feeling even that. He didn't want to die, and he especially didn't want to die in this much pain._

_ Consciousness was fading and sweet sleep was calling. Black spots were closing in from the rims and his fingers and toes were already numb. He was cold and all he could think about was who was going to take care of his mother when he died?_

…

Spencer was startled from the darkest corners of his minds by a small tug on his pant leg. He glanced down and found himself staring into large green eyes that gleamed in the afternoon air with unshed tears.

"Spence, Sam stole my crayons again and he even pulled on my pigtails!" A small wavering voice bubbled from the little girl's mouth as her blonde pigtails bounced along with her little body as she continued to tug on Spencer's jeans. Spencer squatted down in front of her and crossed his arms over his knees that were cradled near his chest. He smiled gently at her and she let her gaze drop to the floor while she pouted.

"Well, what are we going to do about that? Do you really, really want your crayons back? Or would you rather come read a story with me?" He let the little girl decide for herself, but he already knew the answer right away. As soon as he'd let the word 'read' leave his mouth he knew he had her hooked. She beamed at him and held up two fingers to indicate her choice.

"Alright then Lacy, you get to pick the story while I finish up here okay?" She nodded and scampered off to set things up for her private time with Spencer. He could only smile and sigh as she ran away.

However, once he was alone again, all of that previous energy and calm quickly evaporated from his body. His hands began to tremble and sweat started to form on his brow. His knees were shaking and he felt cold and numb. Spencer was sure he was going to pass out, but willed himself to stay strong.

"You've been through worse. You're safe right now, he's not here. Suck it up and get over it. That was the past and this is now." Calm, quiet whispers to himself seemed to do the trick after a few minutes. Deep down inside Spencer knew that that was only a temporary fix to his problems. His father was loose and still trying to contact him. He kept receiving 'gifts' from innocent, murdered people. His father was finally going to be caught and everything was just hitting that well placed dam he'd set around himself, threatening to collapse. All of those painful and horrible memories that he'd tried to hide away were tearing at the surface. Revealing his back to the BAU was not something he'd planned on doing, but subconsciously he'd probably thought it was a sure fire way to convince them of his father's cruelty and almost limitless violence and lack of remorse.

Composing himself, Spencer left his hiding spot and ventured out into the chaos that was the Youth Center Daycare. Children rocket themselves around the room playing tag or some other made up game from their imaginations. Laughter, giggles, shrieking, and screaming blasted into Spencer's ears and he winced in his head. Even after coming here for so long, you'd think that you'd build a tolerance to the cacophony of sounds. After traversing the war zone that was the play area, Spencer made his way to a secluded area by the large windows that covered the back wall. Sunlight filtered in and the colorful kid's rugs soaked up the heat. A large blue beanbag was squished into the corner and Lacy sat in it with a book in hand, waiting patiently for Spencer.

He gently lifted the girl under her armpits and plopped into the 'chair' before replacing her in his lap. She snuggled her back into his chest and he couldn't help but smile at her trusting gesture. She felt safe with him and that was the only thing he needed to feel better. Spencer turned the book over in his hand and gave a snort. _The Giving Tree_ stared back at Spencer.

"Lacy, you do know that I've read this book to you exactly 27 times in about 2 and half weeks, right?" The little girl giggled and her pigtails fluttered with the movement.

"Yep, but it's my favorite book. And you always make the voices better than Mommy. 'Sides, she doesn't have time to read to me now that she's working days." Lacy stared at the book and twiddled with her fingers as she did so. Spencer knew that Lacy's mother was a hooker recently reformed and was currently working as a waitress at a local dinner. She hadn't wanted to sell herself, but her husband had left her to raise Lacy all on her own and she had no other options available to her. Fortunately she'd found the Center and was given help. Her life was on the way to better days and with the new work hours she could spend more time with Lacy. Spencer admired Lacy because she was always so strong and rarely asked for anything. So, if this was her favorite book and she was obviously asking him to humor her, even though she would never actually say anything, he would do this one little task for this brave and independent little girl.

"Alright then, from the beginning or from a specific spot?"

"The beginning!" Soon they were enraptured by the tale of the tree that gave it all up for the one she loved and all of the background noise of the daycare was blocked out.

…

"Hotch, you might want to take a look at this." Emily quickly entered the room and planted herself in front of her boss.

"The toxicology on the latest victim, Robert Dickinson, came back positive for some sort of tranquilizer. The ME said that this particular tranquilizer is used on mentally ill people. The drug is called Thorazine and it's used on people diagnosed with schizophrenia. However, the doctor said that this particular mix isn't used anymore due to unusual side effects sustained by only a few months use. Normal people wouldn't have access to this kind of drug and it's only attainable by doctor's note or the medical practitioner getting it themselves. William Reid would have to be a doctor or at least have known one to get this drug." Prentiss finished her report and let all of it sink in.

"That would be true, but William had the next best thing." Detective Jones stood to stretch his legs and sighed as he did so, as well as crack his back. JJ made a slightly disturbed face at the sound.

"What do you mean?" Emily gave him a confused look.

"Diana Reid, William's wife and Spencer's mother, is a paranoid schizophrenic. She was diagnosed with it when Spencer was ten and William would pick up her medicine from the doctor's office. Diana never took any of her meds because William never gave them to her. Spencer said that he had a large locked cabinet in the bathroom that he was never to touch or really even look at when he was a kid. William stashed all the medicine there and Diana never got the help she needed desperately. Once William left, she and Spencer were taken in and we got her some help. She currently resides at Bennington and is a model patient. Basically, he didn't need to be or know a doctor to get the meds." Daniel had eventually sat back down and gave background on William Reid that they hadn't read in the case files. That sounded like it was important to mention. JJ asked the obvious question.

"So why wasn't this in the file? That pertinent information should have been recorded."

"Like I said before, the previous Chief was thickheaded and his pride got in the way of this case. Work was done sloppy on certain areas, but I made sure to record whatever pertained to the case. Spencer deserved to have all the facts straight even if we couldn't find his father right then and there."

"Why are you so attached to Spencer Reid Detective Jones?" Rossi had leaned forward on the table and clasped his hands together with a stern, but slightly curious face. Everyone leaned slightly forward also. They wanted to hear this just as badly.

"I was a newly appointed detective when I first met Spencer. I was more rash and rambunctious for my own good sometimes back then." A small smile graced his lips and his eyes got a faraway look to them.

"There was this call about a domestic disturbance and my partner and I were off duty but the closest to the residence, so we decided to report in and then check it out. When we got there, the front door was wide open and the lights were off. We carefully entered and checked all the back rooms first. Everything was clear… until we reached the kitchen. There was this small, seemingly motionless body on the ground and at first I had no idea what it was. Blood was everywhere and there was alcohol smeared around broken glass. I swear I almost had a heart attack when I leaned down and these big brown eyes fluttered open to stare at me with a glazed over look. We called for an ambulance and back up and I nearly lost my lunch trying not to look at the poor kid's back, which you saw today."

He quickly swallowed a lump in his throat and then breathed calmly in before continuing. "He didn't even cry when the EMT's poked and prodded at him. He didn't even flinch. He just stared at me and smiled and I swear to God I will never forget what he said to me. This tiny, thin, and bleeding child made my heart break. He said to me, 'It's not so bad, so please don't look so sad. Thanks, but I'm okay.' I had talked to one of the EMTs as the wheeled him out and he said it was a miracle that the kid was even still alive for us to save. He must have been slowly bleeding to death for God knows how long and the first thing he does is to make sure _I'm _okay. He said he was okay, but everyone knew he clearly wasn't and he had the audacity to comfort me, his rescuer. He should have been crying and sobbing and just being a kid for Christ's sake, but that look in his eyes, the concerned expression on his face when he spoke, and just the overall state of him made me want to burst into tears, I nearly did."

"Damn…" Rossi whispered unintentionally.

"Where did he go after he was released from the hospital since he wasn't a legal adult?" Hotch's voice was raw with emotion, extremely rare for him.

"He couldn't go back to living with his mother. She wasn't even in the house when we found him. We found her a few days later wandering the streets and not even lucid enough to understand that her son was brutally attacked in their home. He stayed at the hospital for two weeks until he had to be moved. We couldn't find his father, which he accused of attacking him, and neighbors confirmed that there had been previous 'incidents' with the man. We were going to put him in a foster home with child services, but before we could do that, Spencer received the first 'gift' when he left the hospital." A gasp from JJ caused everyone to look toward her in concern.

"So, you're telling me, that as soon as that poor, innocent, selfless, brave, and beautiful child was released after nearly dying from his father's last beating, that the son of a bitch sent him a fucking _gift_?" Morgan and Prentiss stared wide eyed and open mouthed at JJ, while Hotch, Rossi, and Jones got another hardened look on their face and set their jaws tight. Hotch was about to reprimand her, but she wasn't done yet.

"Hotch, I swear to God that when we find that SOB you will let me at him. I will get him to confess everything, but it shouldn't take that long for the narcissistic prick to gloat about all of his fucking _masterpieces_. I will crush him so far into the ground without even batting an eyelash and then I'll do it again and again and again until I'm finally satisfied. Oh, but it won't be done after that! I will make him wish he was never born and that he is a worthless piece of crap that he really and truly is!" JJ had been ranting and was breathing hard with pure rage and Morgan was slowly rising from his seated position to possibly hold her back from punching an innocent bystander.

"You've got one hell of a gal right there Agent Hotchner, but please, don't ever bring her back here when she's like that. I'm terrified that she'll hit me if I say anything right now." Detective Jones smirked slightly while whispering into Hotch's ear as secretly as possible. Hotch just smiled and silently agreed and thought the same thing secretly himself. Hotch glanced at Rossi and the look on his face showed that he thought the same. JJ was a force to be reckoned with and they only hoped that William Reid was in one piece when she was done with him, but not so secretly, they really didn't care.


End file.
